Method and apparatus for operating an electricity meter

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus that monitors and controls the operation of an electricity meter, and modifies at least one temperature threshold for determining when an alarm message should be transmitted or an electrical connection in the meter should be disconnected. The method and apparatus includes a plurality of sensors that detect temperatures in various locations within the electricity meter. The method and apparatus compares at least one detected temperature to at least one threshold, and operates an alarm or a switch when the detected temperature exceeds the threshold. The method and apparatus determines an average rate of change for at least one temperature according to a short-term temperature average over a first number of samples of the temperature, and a long term-term temperature average over a second number of samples of the temperature. The second number of samples is different from the first number of samples. The method and apparatus reduces the threshold when the average rate of change exceeds a predetermined amount.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus that monitors arate of change in temperature and a temperature difference betweendifferent locations within an electricity meter, and adjusts alarm anddisconnection thresholds accordingly to improve the responsiveness ofthe electricity meter to potential high temperature conditions.

BACKGROUND

Conventional electricity meters include an electrical connection betweena power source and a load. Conventional electricity meters detect thetemperature inside a meter, and may send alerts and disconnect the powersource from the load when a detected temperature reaches setpredetermined thresholds.

SUMMARY

One object of the method and apparatus described herein is to monitorthe operation of an electricity meter and implement measures in advanceof the occurrences of various operating conditions.

A further object of the method and the apparatus is to modifyoperational thresholds for sending an alarm or disconnecting anelectrical connection, in response to current operating conditions thatindicate the operational thresholds may be exceeded.

Another object of the method and apparatus is to send an alarm ordisconnect an electrical connection at lower thresholds in order torespond earlier to operating conditions that if prolonged, may risk thecontinued operation of the meter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of aspects of this disclosure and many ofthe attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained by referenceto the following detailed description when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B each provide a block diagram for a system including anapparatus for monitoring and controlling the operation of a meter thatincludes an electrical connection between a power source and a load;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for operatingan electricity meter;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for sending analarm for a high temperature condition;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process fordisconnecting an electricity meter;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for updatingoperational thresholds;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for determininga temperature difference;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for evaluatingand updating temperature thresholds; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for calibratingthreshold values for an electricity meter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided asystem including a meter (electricity meter or other power measurementdevice), and a method for monitoring and controlling the operation ofthe meter, and modifying thresholds for sending an alarm ordisconnecting an electrical connection in the meter. The method includesperiodically detecting a first temperature of a first location with afirst sensor and a second temperature of a second location with a secondsensor. At least one of the first temperature and the second temperatureare compared to a first threshold for transmitting an alarm and a secondthreshold for operating a remote disconnect switch. The firsttemperature is compared second temperature to determine a firsttemperature difference. A short-term temperature average of at least oneof the first temperature and the second temperature is determined for afirst number of samples, and a long-term temperature average isdetermine for a second number of samples of the temperature that wasused for the short-term average. The method includes determining anaverage rate of change based on the short-term temperature average andthe long-term temperature average. The method includes modifying atleast one of the first threshold and the second threshold when the firsttemperature difference is equal to or greater than a third threshold andthe average rate of change is equal to or greater than a fourththreshold.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provideda system including a meter (electricity meter or other power measurementdevice, and an apparatus for monitoring and controlling the operation ofmeter. The apparatus modifies thresholds for sending an alarm ordisconnecting an electrical connection in the meter. The apparatusincludes a first circuit, a second circuit, a remote disconnect switch,and a plurality of temperature sensors. The plurality of sensors includea first sensor proximate to the first circuit and detects a firsttemperature near the first circuit, and a second sensor proximate to thesecond circuit and detects a second temperature near the second circuit.The apparatus includes at least one processor configured to receive thefirst temperature from the first sensor and the second temperature fromthe second sensor, and compare at least one of the first temperature andthe second temperature to a first threshold. The processor operates aremote disconnect switch or sends a an alarm when the at least one ofthe first temperature and the second temperature exceeds the firstthreshold. The processor determines an average rate of change based on ashort-term temperature average of at least one of the first temperatureand the second temperature over a first number of samples, and along-term temperature average of the at least one of the firsttemperature and the second temperature over a second number of samples.The processor modifies the threshold when a difference between the firsttemperature and second temperature is greater than a second threshold,and the average rate of change exceeds a third threshold.

It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views. FIG. 1Ais a block diagram of an electricity meter 100 including an electricalconnection 101 in a line 103 that connects a power supply 105 to anelectrical load 107. The electrical connection 101 is provided in theline 103 by the contact between contacts 109 of the electricity meter100 and contacts 111 of a power panel 113. The contacts 111 of the powerpanel 113 provide a meter socket that receives the contacts 109 of theelectricity meter 100. An enclosure 117 of the electricity meter 100houses a controller 115 (ECU), a first IC 123, and a second IC 125.

The first IC 123 receives information from various sensors (not shown)and transmits the information from the various sensors to the controller115. The controller 115 may operate the disconnect switch 131 to openbased on the information transmitted from the first IC 123. The secondIC 125 transmits and receives operational information from a userdisplay 127 and the controller 115. The controller 115 transmitsoperational data to a communications board 129 that transmitsinformation from the controller 115 to a back end 133. The back end 133being part of a network (not shown) that communicates with multipleelectricity meters 100.

The disconnect switch 131 is provided in an internal line 103 within theelectricity meter 100. The disconnect switch 131 can be operated todisconnect the power supply 105 from the electrical load 107. Inaddition, the electricity meter 100 is provided with an auxiliary powerconnection 135, such that when the disconnect switch 131 is opened andthe power supply 105 is disconnected from the electrical load 107, theelectricity meter 100, and thus the controller 115, is still providedwith power. The disconnect switch 131 can be operated remotely.

The electricity meter 100 is also provided with a first temperaturesensor 137 located on the first IC 123 adjacent to the electricalconnection 101. The first sensor 137 detects the temperature of at leastone phase of the electrical connection 101. In a poly-phase meter, thefirst temperature sensor 137 transmits the highest temperature betweenthe phases, or an average temperature for all of the phases, to thecontroller 115. The electricity meter 100 is also provided with a secondtemperature sensor 139 located on the second IC 125. The secondtemperature sensor 139 senses the temperature of the second IC 125 andtransmits the temperature to the controller 115.

In the embodiment of an electricity meter 100′ of FIG. 1B, thecontroller 115 is combined with the first IC 123, and the secondtemperature sensor 139 transmits temperature readings to the second IC125. The second IC 125 is configured to receive the temperature readingfrom the second temperature sensor 139, transmit the reading to thecontroller 115, and send a high temperature alarm to the communicationsboard 129 and the user display 127. The controller 115 receivestemperature readings from the first temperature sensor 137 and thesecond IC 125, operates the disconnect switch 131, transmits thetemperature detected by the first temperature sensor 137 to the secondIC 125, and communicates with the communications board 129. The secondIC 125 is configured to send the high temperature alarm message to thecommunications board 129 and the user display 127, when the temperaturedetected by the first temperature sensor 137, and transmitted by thecontroller 115, exceeds a threshold temperature.

The controller 115 in the embodiments of FIGS. 1A and 1B can send andreceive information from the back end 133, including updated values forthreshold values and look up tables used in the exemplary processes. Thethreshold values may be updated dynamically in response to the detectionof certain operational parameters, or external conditions which may bedetermined by a user or a utility. In particular, the temperaturesdetected by the first and second temperature sensors (135, 137) may beused individually or together, to determine the degree to whichthreshold values for sending an alarm or disconnecting the electricalconnection 101 are to be changed. One or more additional temperaturesensors in different location within the meter may also be used forcomparison with one or both of the temperatures detected by the firstand second temperature sensors (135, 137).

Embodiments disclosed herein include temperature sensors provided onfirst and second ICs. In addition, separate stand alone temperaturesensing units, including thermistors, thermocouples, or infra-redsensing devices may be mounted on interior portions of an enclosure, orto other components in an electricity meter. For example, one or moretemperature sensors may be placed on or near a bus bar of an electricalconnection.

Look up tables used to determine reference rates of change intemperature, can be updated dynamically in response to the detection ofoperating parameters of an electricity meter, or external conditionsthat may dictate different permissible rates at which temperature canchange. The updates can be provided through a network communication orthrough onsite maintenance of the electricity meter 100.

A controller 115 may include one or more processors or equivalentsthereof, such as a central processing unit (CPU) and/or at least oneapplication specific processor (ASP). A processor may include one ormore circuits or be a circuit that utilizes a computer readable medium,such as a memory circuit (e.g., ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, staticmemory, DRAM, SDRAM, and their equivalents), configured to control theprocessor to perform and/or control the processes and systems of thisdisclosure. The processor can be a separate device or a singleprocessing mechanism. Further, this disclosure can benefit from parallelprocessing capabilities of a multi-cored CPU.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for operatingelectricity meter according the embodiments of FIGS. 1A and 1B and fordetermining a first temperature in a first location, storing the firsttemperature separately for each iteration of the process, comparing thefirst temperature to high temperature alarm and meter disconnectionthresholds, and updating those thresholds. In the alternative, a secondtemperature in a second location may be stored separately for eachiteration and be compared to high temperature alarm and meterdisconnection thresholds that are different from the thresholds whichare compared to the first temperature of the first location.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, during a temperature detection step 201 for apoly-phase meter according to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the temperature of atleast two phases of the electrical connection 101 are measured by thesensor 137 on the first IC 123. Once detected, a temperature (T_(φ1)) ofa first phase, and a temperature (T_(φ2)) of a second phase are comparedat step 203. A first temperature T₁ is set to the first phasetemperature (T_(φ1)) at step 205 if the first phase temperature (T_(φ1))is higher than the second phase temperature (T_(φ2)). The firsttemperature (T₁) is set to second phase temperature (T_(φ2)) at step 207if the second phase temperature (T_(φ2)) is determined to be higher thanthe first phase temperature (T_(φ1)). In the alternative the firsttemperature can be an average of the first phase temperature (T_(φ1))and the second phase temperature (T_(φ2)). The first temperature (T₁) isstored as (T_(1(s)) in a memory unit of the controller 115 at step 209for each incremented iteration (s) of the process of FIG. 2.

The process 200 illustrated in FIG. 2, is applied to a meter includingmultiple phases. The exemplary process 200 for operating an electricitymeter may be applied to a single or poly-phase meter. In a meter with asingle phase, the first temperature (T₁) is the temperature around thesingle phase of the electrical connection 101. In a poly-phase meter,the temperature at each phase may be detected. Further, the firsttemperature (T₁) can be set to the highest temperature detected of theindividual phases, or an average of the individual temperatures for allthe phases. In a two phase meter, the first phase or the second phasemay be connected to phase A, B, or C of a three-phase connection.

In the exemplary process illustrated in FIG. 2 for operating anelectricity meter, the first temperature (T₁) is referred to a processfor sending an alarm for a high temperature condition.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a High Temperature Operation 300 forsending an alarm for a high temperature condition according to thepresent disclosure. The controller 115 of FIG. 1A or the second IC 125in FIG. 1B, will determine if a high temperature alarm should betransmitted to the communications board 129 by comparing the firsttemperature (T₁) to a first threshold (T_(T-max)) for sending an alarmof a high temperature condition at step 301. When the first temperature(T₁) is greater than or equal to the first threshold (T_(T-max)), atleast one temperature alarm message is transmitted to the communicationsboard 129 at step 303. The at least one alarm message (or a number ofmessages, e.g. 6 messages) is sent to the communications board 129,which transmits the message to the back end 133 at step 303. When thefirst temperature (T₁) is not greater than or equal to the firstthreshold (T_(T-max)), no alarm message is sent.

In the exemplary process illustrated in FIG. 2 for operating anelectricity meter, the first temperature (T₁) is referred to a processfor disconnecting a meter (100, 100′) after the High TemperatureOperation 300.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for theDisconnection Operation for disconnecting an electricity meter based onthe first temperature (T₁). In the Disconnection Operation,disconnection switch 131 of the electricity meter 100 illustrated inFIG. 1, is operated to disconnect the electrical connection 101 based onthe first temperature (T₁).

As noted above the first temperature (T₁) corresponds to the highesttemperature between at least two phases of the electrical connection 101(as noted above, in the alternative (T₁) could be the average of thetemperatures of all of the phases). In the Disconnection Operation, itis determined whether a temperature based operation of the disconnectswitch has been disabled at step 401. When a second threshold(T_(S-max)) is equal to zero, it is determined the temperature basedoperation of the disconnect switch has been disabled and theDisconnection Operation 400 is ended. The second threshold (T_(S-max))corresponds to a second high temperature condition of the electricalconnection 101, which can damage the meter (100, 100′) if the load 105is not disconnected from the power source 107.

When the second threshold (T_(S-max)) is not equal to zero, it isdetermined if the remote disconnect switch 131 must be opened todisconnect the electrical connection 101 by comparing the firsttemperature (T₁) to a second threshold (T_(S-max)) at step 403. Thesecond threshold (T_(S-max)) corresponds to the second high temperaturecondition of the electrical connection 101, which can affect the normaloperation of the meter (100, 100′) if the load 105 is not disconnectedfrom the power source 107. When the first temperature (T₁) is greaterthan or equal to the second threshold (T_(S-max)) for a period time (t₁)greater than or equal to a predetermined number (x) of seconds (e.g. 5seconds), the disconnect switch 131 is operated to be opened at step403. A Disconnect Switch Open Acknowledgement message is transmitted atstep 407. At least one Disconnect Switch Open Acknowledgement message(or more, e.g. 6 messages) is sent to the communications board 129,which transmits the message to the back end 133 at step 407.

When the disconnect switch 131 is opened, a first counter (y) is resetto zero at step 409. As discussed below the first counter (y) isincremented to indicate a number of times the disconnect switch 131 hasnot opened correctly. A position of the disconnect switch 131 and acurrent sensor 141 are monitored, to determine if the electricalconnection 101 has been properly disconnected at step 411. A measuredcurrent (I) is compared to a maximum allowable current (I_(max)) (e.g.0.5 A) that can be present when the electrical connection 101 isdisconnected.

When the position of the disconnect switch is closed or the measuredcurrent (I) is greater than the maximum allowable current (I_(max)), thefirst counter (y) is increased by 1 at step 413. It is determinedwhether the disconnect switch 131 failed to open a maximum number oftimes by comparing the first counter (y) to a maximum count (y_(max)) atstep 415 (i.e. a maximum number of failed attempts to open thedisconnect switch 131, such as one or six attempts). When the value ofthe counter (y) is less than the maximum count (y_(max)), a period of(u) seconds (e.g. 10 seconds) is allowed to elapse, and the disconnectswitch 131 is operated at step 417, and step 411 is repeated. If thecounter (y) has increased to (y_(max)), disconnect switch operationfailure message is transmitted at step 419. When it is determined aposition of the disconnect switch 131 is open or the measured current(I) is less than the maximum allowable current (I_(max)) at step 411,the first counter (y) is not increased and the disconnect switchoperation failure message is not sent.

In the exemplary process illustrated in FIG. 2 for operating anelectricity meter (100, 100′), the first temperature (T₁) is referred toa process for updating operational thresholds after the DisconnectionOperation 400.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for a ThresholdUpdate 500 for updating operational thresholds. In the Threshold Update500, the second temperature corresponding to the temperature of thesecond IC 125 is evaluated at process 600, Evaluate LocationTemperatures (T₂).

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process to determine afirst temperature difference according to the Evaluate LocationTemperatures (T₂). The second sensor 139 is used to determine the secondtemperature (T₂) at step 601. As a result, second temperature (T₂)corresponds to a temperature in a second location of the meters (100,100′) illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. A flag (z) is read at step 603.When it is determined that the flag (z) is equal 1, a third threshold(ΔT_(loc)) for the first temperature difference between the firstlocation where the first IC 123 is located, and the second locationwhere the second IC 125 is located, is determined in step 611 fromT₁-T₂. The value of flag (z) not being equal to 1, indicates the firstthreshold (T_(T-max)) and the second threshold (T_(S-max)) are notmodified from respective original values.

When it is determined the flag (z) is equal to 1, the first temperatureT₁ is compared to the second T₂ at step 607. The value of flag (z) beingequal to 1, indicates the first threshold T_(T-max) and the secondthreshold T_(S-max) have are modified from respective original values(as with a previous iteration of the Threshold Update 500). When it isdetermined that T₁ has decreased from a previous level that required achange in thresholds, to less than the second temperature T₂, the firstthreshold (T_(T-max)) and the second threshold (T_(S-max)) are reset torespective original values in step 609. The first temperature difference(ΔT_(loc)) between the first location where the first IC 123 is located,and the second location where the second IC 125 is located, isdetermined as T₁-T₂ in step 611 after step 609.

In the exemplary process illustrated in FIG. 5 for updating operationalthresholds with the Threshold Update 500 process, the first temperaturedifference (ΔT_(loc)) determined in the Evaluate Location Temperatures600 process is compared to a maximum temperature difference (ΔT_(max))at step 503. If the first temperature difference (ΔT_(loc)) is notgreater than or equal to the maximum temperature difference (ΔT_(max)),the flag (z) is set to equal zero in step 505 b and the Threshold Update500 process ends. However, if the first temperature difference(ΔT_(loc)) is greater than or equal to the maximum temperaturedifference (ΔT_(max)), the flag (z) is set equal to 1 in step 505 a.This indicates there is a large difference in temperature betweendifferent locations within the meter, and the temperature of theelectrical connection 101 may be increasing too rapidly. When the flagis set equal to 1, the first temperature (T₁) is referred to an EvaluateThresholds 700 process.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for evaluatingand updating temperature thresholds. In the Evaluate Thresholds 700process, an average of the most recent (n) samples of (T₁) is determinedas a short-term temperature average (T_(r)) in step 701. A long-termtemperature average (T_(Ave(s))) is calculated in step 703. Thelong-term temperature average (T_(Ave (s))) corresponds to an average ofall of the samples of T₁ over a time period (t₂) (e.g. 7 minutes).Preferably the number of samples in the long term temperature average islarge. When a sufficient number of samples are used to determine thelong-term temperature average (T_(Ave (s))), the most recent samples of(T₁) will have a small influence on the long-term temperature average(T_(Ave(s))). Thus it is not necessary to perform the step of filteringthe most recent samples of (T₁) from a calculation of the long-termtemperature average (T_(Ave(s))). On the other hand when the number ofsamples used to determine the long-term temperature average (T_(Ave(s)))is not large, it is preferable to exclude the most recent samples of(T₁), which may influence/change the long-term temperature (T_(Ave(s)))a large amount. In this situation it is preferable to determine thelong-term temperature average (T_(Ave(s))) using samples of (T₁)occurring over the period of time (t₂), which is immediately before afirst sample of the short-term temperature average (T_(r)).

An average rate of change (T_(L)) is calculated in step 705 as thedifference of the short-term temperature average (T_(r)) and the longterm temperature average (T_(Ave(s))), divided by an average time change(Δt_(Ave)).

The average rate of change (T_(L)) is compared to a fourth threshold fora first maximum rate of change (T_(L-max1)) in step 707. The comparisonmay also be determined by comparing the first maximum rate of change(T_(L-max1)) multiplied by average time change (Δt_(Ave)) to thedifference of the short-term temperature average (T_(r)) and thelong-term temperature average (T_(Ave(s))). When the average rate ofchange (T_(L)) is greater than or equal to the first maximum rate ofchange (T_(L-max1)), the average rate of change (T_(L)) is compared to asecond maximum rate of change (T_(L-max2)) in step 709. When the averagerate of change (T_(L)) is not greater than or equal to the secondmaximum rate of change (T_(L-max2)), the first threshold (T_(T-max)) forsending the high temperature alarm message and the second threshold(T_(S-max)) for operating the disconnect switch 131 are reduced byrespective first (q₁) and second (w₁) values in step 711. A thresholdchange message is sent to the communications board 129 by the controller115 at step 715. When the average rate of change (T_(L)) is greater thanor equal to the second maximum rate of change (T_(L-max2)), the firstthreshold (T_(T-max)) and the second threshold (T_(s-max)) are reducedby respective third (q₁) and fourth (w₁) values in step 713. A thresholdchange message is sent to the communications board 129 at step 715. Thethird (q₂) and fourth (w₂) values are greater than the first (q₁) andsecond (w₁) values respectively.

Reducing the first threshold (T_(T-max)) for the sending the hightemperature alarm message, and the second threshold (T_(S-max)) foroperating the disconnect switch 131 is advantageous because a continualrise in temperature in the meter (100, 100′) can be recognized beforehigher temperature thresholds that put continued proper operation atrisk are reached.

The Threshold Update process 500 ends after it is determined the averagerate of change (T_(L)) is not greater than or equal to the first maximumrate of change (T_(L-max1)), or the threshold hold change message issent in step 715. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the counter (s) isincremented by 1 at step 211 once Threshold Update process 500 iscomplete.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for calibratingthreshold values for an electricity meter. An electrical meter is turnedon at step 801 and a one time calibration of the second threshold(T_(S-max)), where the second threshold is set to a second temperaturesensor 139 threshold for the second IC 125 at step 801. It is determinedif the meter (100, 100′) is in time alignment at step 803. If the meter(100, 100′) is not in time alignment, a flag (f) is set to zero in step805, and a period of time (o) is allowed to pass at step 807 (e.g. 24hours—or comparable time period required for the meter to be in timealignment) before a temporary calibration occurs at step 811. If themeter (100, 100′) is in time alignment, a flag (f) is set to 1 in step809, and the temporary calibration occurs at step 811. The flag (f) isread at step 813, and if the flag (f) is equal to zero the timealignment of the meter (100, 100′) is determined again at step 803.

If the value of the flag (f) is not equal to 0, it is determined if thecurrent Time is equal to a Time 1 (e.g. 2:00 AM) at step 815. If theTime is equal to Time 1, at step 821 the first threshold (T_(S-max)) andthe second threshold (T_(T-max)) are permanently calibrated. If thecurrent Time is not equal to a Time 1 (e.g. 2:00 AM), it is determinedif the current Time is later than a Time 2 (e.g. 1:00 AM) at step 817.When it is determined the current Time is not later that Time 2, it isdetermined if the meter (100, 100′) is in time alignment at step 803 ina subsequent iteration of the calibration process 800 of FIG. 8. Whenthe current Time is later than Time 2, the current (I) is compared tocalibration current (L_(cal)) (e.g. 100 A) in step 819. When the current(I) is less than the calibration current (I_(cal)), the meter (100,100′) is permanently calibrated at step 821. Otherwise it is determinedif the meter (100, 100′) is in time alignment at step 803 in asubsequent iteration of the calibration process 800 of FIG. 8.

The calibration process 800 provides calibration during times wherecalibration will not be affected by sun loading and temperaturegradients by normal bus bar heating of the electrical connection 101.The calibration process can also result in issuing a high temperaturealarm message when the calibration results in offsets greater than plusor minus 30° C.

Thus, the foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplaryembodiments of the present invention. As will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or essentialcharacteristics thereof. Accordingly, the disclosure of the presentinvention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting of the scopeof the invention, as well as other claims. The disclosure, including anyreadily discernible variants of the teachings herein, define, in part,the scope of the foregoing claim terminology such that no inventivesubject matter is dedicated to the public.

1. A method of monitoring and controlling an operation of a meterelectrically connected between a power source and a load, comprising:periodically detecting a first temperature of a first location with afirst sensor and detecting a second temperature of a second locationwith a second sensor; processing the first temperature and the secondtemperature; comparing at least one of the first temperature and thesecond temperature to a first threshold for transmitting an alarm and asecond threshold for operating a remote disconnect switch to disconnectan electrical connection of the power source; comparing the firsttemperature and the second temperature to determine a first temperaturedifference; determining a short-term temperature average of at least oneof the first temperature and the second temperature over a first numberof samples; determining a long-term temperature average of the at leastone of the first temperature and the second temperature over a secondnumber of samples; determining an average rate of change based on theshort-term temperature average and the long-term temperature average;and modifying at least one of the first threshold and the secondthreshold when it is determined the first temperature difference isequal to or greater than a third threshold and the average rate ofchange is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one alarmmessage when one of the first temperature and the second temperature isequal to or greater than first threshold corresponding to a first hightemperature.
 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprisingoperating the disconnect switch to disconnect the load from the powersource and sending at least one second alarm message when one of thefirst temperature and the second temperature is equal to or greater thanthe second threshold corresponding to second high temperature.
 4. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the second number of samples isgreater than the first number of samples.
 5. The method according toclaim 4, wherein the first number of samples includes a most recentfirst temperature at the first location and a predetermined number ofsamples of the first temperature detected immediately before detectingthe most recent first temperature.
 6. The method according to claim 4,wherein the second number of samples occur before a first sample of thefirst number of samples.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein thesecond number of samples of the long-term temperature average includeseach sample of the first temperature over a predetermined period of timebefore detecting the first sample of the first number of samples.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein determining the average rate of changefurther comprises determining a difference between the short-termtemperature average and the long-term temperature average over a changein time.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein modifying at leastone of the first threshold and the second threshold comprises reducingthe first threshold and the second threshold, and the first threshold isreduced by a first amount and the second threshold is reduced by asecond amount when the average rate of change is greater than the fourththreshold for an average rate of temperature change by a firstdeviation.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the firstthreshold is reduced by a third amount different from the first amountand the second threshold is reduced by a fourth amount different fromthe second amount when the average rate of change is greater than thefourth threshold for an average rate of temperature by a seconddeviation.
 11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:periodically determining a second temperature difference with the microprocessor between one of the first temperature and at least oneadditional temperature detected at an additional location in the meter,and modifying at least one of the first threshold and the secondthreshold when the second temperature difference is equal to or greaterthan the third threshold and the average rate of change is equal to orgreater than the fourth threshold.
 12. The method according to claim 1,wherein the first location is adjacent to an electrical connection andthe first temperature difference is determined when the firsttemperature is greater than the second temperature of the secondlocation.
 13. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:restoring one of the first threshold and the second threshold to arespective original first threshold and an original second thresholdafter one of the first threshold and the second threshold has beenmodified and the first temperature is less than the second temperatureat the second location.
 14. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: comparing the other of the at least one of the firsttemperature and the second temperature to a fifth threshold fortransmitting an alarm and a sixth threshold for operating the remotedisconnect switch; and determining a second short-term temperatureaverage of the other of the at least one of the first temperature andthe second temperature over a third number of samples; determining asecond long-term temperature average of the other of the at least one ofthe first temperature and the second temperature over a fourth number ofsamples; determining a second average rate of change based on the secondshort-term temperature average and the second long-term temperatureaverage; and modifying at least one of the fifth threshold and the sixththreshold when the first temperature difference is equal to or greaterthan third threshold and the second average rate of change is equal toor greater than the forth threshold.
 15. A meter electrically connectedbetween a power source and a load, comprising: a first circuit and asecond circuit; a remote disconnect switch; a plurality of temperaturesensors, wherein a first sensor is proximate to the first circuit anddetects a first temperature near the first circuit and a second sensoris proximate to the second circuit and detects a second temperature nearthe second circuit; at least one processor configured to, receive thefirst temperature from the first sensor and the second temperature fromthe second sensor, compare at least one of the first temperature and thesecond temperature to a first threshold, operate a remote disconnectswitch when the at least one of the first temperature and the secondtemperature exceeds the first threshold, determine an average rate ofchange based on a short-term temperature average of at least one of thefirst temperature and the second temperature over a first number ofsamples and a long-term temperature average of the at least one of thefirst temperature and the second temperature over a second number ofsamples, and modify the threshold when a difference between the firsttemperature and second temperature is greater than a second thresholdand the average rate of change exceeds a third threshold.
 16. Theapparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first circuit is proximateto the electrical connection and the processor is configured todetermine the first temperature difference when the first temperature isgreater than the second temperature.
 17. The apparatus according toclaim 15, wherein the second number of samples is greater than the firstnumber of samples.
 18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein thefirst number of samples includes a most recent first temperature at thefirst location and a predetermined number of samples of the firsttemperature detected immediately before detecting the most recent firsttemperature.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the secondnumber of samples occur before a first sample of the first number ofsamples.
 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the second numberof samples of the long-term temperature average includes each sample ofthe first temperature over a over a predetermined period of time beforethe first sample of the first number of samples.
 21. The apparatusaccording to claim 15, wherein the remote disconnect switch connects theelectrical connection between the power source to the load when set to aclosed state and disconnects the electrical connection when set to anopen state, wherein the first threshold corresponds to a hightemperature condition in the meter, the first circuit is in the vicinityof the electrical connection, and the processor is configured to set theremote disconnect switch to the open state when the first temperature isequal to or greater than the second threshold.
 22. The apparatusaccording to claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to, comparethe other of the at least one of the first temperature and the secondtemperature to a fourth threshold, operate the remote disconnect switchwhen the other of the at least one of the first temperature and thesecond temperature exceeds the third threshold, determine a secondshort-term temperature average of the other of the at least one of thefirst temperature and the second temperature over a third number ofsamples, determine a second long-term temperature average of the otherof the at least one of the first temperature and the second temperatureover a fourth number of samples, determine a second average rate ofchange based on the second short-term temperature average and the secondlong-term temperature average, and modify the fourth threshold when adifference between the first temperature and second temperature isgreater than the second threshold and the second average rate of changeexceeds the third threshold.
 23. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium storing executable instructions, which when executed byone or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform:periodically detecting a first temperature of a first location anddetecting a second temperature of a second location; comparing at leastone of the first temperature and the second temperature to a firstthreshold for transmitting an alarm and a second threshold greater thanthe first threshold for operating a remote disconnect switch; comparingthe first temperature and the second temperature to determine a firsttemperature difference; determining a short-term temperature average ofat least one of the first temperature and the second temperature over afirst number of samples; determining a long-term temperature average ofthe at least one of the first temperature and the second temperatureover a second number of samples; determining an average rate of changebased on the short-term temperature average and the long-termtemperature average; and modifying at least one of the first thresholdand the second threshold when the first temperature difference is equalto or greater than a third threshold and the average rate of change isequal to or greater than a fourth threshold.
 24. A meter electricallyconnected between a power source and a load, comprising: a plurality ofsensors including a first sensor that detects a first temperature of afirst location in the meter and a second sensor that detects a secondtemperature of a second location in the meter; at least one processorconfigured to, receive the first temperature and the second temperature,compare at least one threshold and at least one of the first temperatureand the second temperature, operate at least one of an alarm and aswitch when the at least one of the first temperature and the secondtemperature exceeds the at least one threshold, determine an averagerate of change based on a short-term temperature average based on afirst number of samples and a long-term temperature average based on asecond number of samples of the at least one of the first temperatureand the second temperature, and reduce the at least one threshold when adifference between the first temperature and second temperature isgreater than a first predetermined amount and the average rate of changeexceeds a second predetermined amount.
 25. The apparatus according toclaim 22, wherein the threshold corresponds to a high temperaturecondition in the meter, and the processor is configured to operate thealarm and transmits a high temperature alarm when the at least one ofthe first temperature and the second temperature exceeds the at leastone threshold.
 26. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein thethreshold corresponds to a disconnection temperature condition in themeter, and the processor is configured to operate the switch todisconnect an electrical connection in the meter when the at least oneof the first temperature and the second temperature exceeds the at leastone threshold.
 27. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein theprocessor compares a second threshold corresponding to a disconnectiontemperature condition in the meter and at least one of the firsttemperature and the second temperature, and the processor operates theswitch to disconnect an electrical connection in the meter when the atleast one of the first temperature and the second temperature exceedsthe second threshold.
 28. A meter electrically connected between a powersource and a load, comprising: a first sensor that detects a firsttemperature of a first location in the meter; at least one processorconfigured to, receive the first temperature from the first sensor,compare at least one threshold and the first temperature, operate atleast one of an alarm and a switch when the first temperature exceedsthe at least one threshold, determine a first temperature average of thefirst temperature over a short-term number of samples, determine asecond temperature average of the first temperature over a long-termnumber of samples, determine an average rate of change based on thefirst temperature average and the second temperature average, and reducethe at least one threshold when the average rate of change exceeds apredetermined amount.
 29. A method of monitoring and controlling anoperation of a meter electrically connected between a power source and aload, comprising: periodically detecting a first temperature of a firstlocation with a first sensor; transmitting the first temperature fromthe first sensor to a microprocessor; comparing the first temperature toa first threshold for at least one of transmitting an alarm andoperating a remote disconnect switch to disconnect an electricalconnection of the power source; determining a first temperature averageof the first temperature over a short-term number of samples;determining a second temperature average of the first temperature over along-term number of samples; determining an average rate of change basedon the first temperature average and the second temperature average; andmodifying the first threshold when average rate of change is equal to orgreater than a predetermined amount for an average rate of temperaturechange.